Creating building instructions

Now you understand how to create a high-quality image of a Lego model.
Creating a whole series of instructions is just a tedious repetition of
these basic steps. To create the online instructions for the robots from
my book (http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/lmstorms/building/),
for example, I followed these steps:

I use MLCAD to create an MPD file for the entire model.

Using a text editor, I cut and paste from the original MPD to create a
DAT or MPD file representing each step in building the model.

I also use a text editor to pull out the parts needed for each step. Then
I edit the parts files in MLCAD to lay them out nicely.

The step files and parts files are converted to .pov files using
l3p.

Inside POV-Ray, I edit the camera angle and lights for the completed model
until I am happy. Then I copy the camera and lights settings to each step
file. I modify the camera and lights slightly and apply the new settings
to each of the parts files. For complex models, some steps have to show
different views of the model, so these have to be adjusted separately.

For certain pieces, like tires or treads, the default materials don't look
right. By default, l3p makes all the bricks look shiny, but tires and treads
need to look like rubber. For this, I manually create a new material and
substitute it in for the tires and treads.

I use POV-Ray's file queue to render all of the step and parts files while
I go to have lunch.

Then I crop each image using Adobe PhotoDeluxe. I would use a real tool
like Photoshop or GIMP, but I don't have either one.

I add text to the parts images using PhotoDeluxe.

I save all the images as JPEGs.

Then I use Netscape Composer to create the HTML pages containing the images.

It's a tedious process, but I'm very pleased with the results.

For more information

This article skims over the top of several deep subjects: part modeling,
DAT files, and POV-Ray. If you'd like to learn more, there's plenty of
information out there.

ldraw.org is an outstanding collection of Lego model building information. You can find official parts updates, information about the DAT file format (in the FAQ), links to all of the known DAT file editors and utilities, and
information about upcoming developments in the Lego CAD community.

LUGNET is the center of the online Lego community. It has an entire hierarchy of discussion groups devoted to Lego CAD issues.

Although ldraw.org has MLCAD available for download, Michael Lachmann maintains the official MLCAD page